I've noticed a number of tests recently that seem to be intended to prove that free antivirus is as good as commercial AV. As it happens, I'm not against free AV in principle, as long as people are entitled to use it – commercial use of free AV is usually not permitted. And I'm overjoyed when

People keep asking me about Microsoft’s newly released Security Essentials free anti-malware (formerly known as Morro). Randy and I both blogged about it at some length back in June – see http://www.eset.com/threat-center/blog/category/microsoft-security-essentials and http://www.eset.com/threat-center/blog/2009/08/03/more-free-lunches, for instance – but there’s still a lot of interest in the impact that the product is likely to have on ESET

Discussion has been rolling on in comments to a blog Randy posted some time ago (back in June, to be precise…) on Microsoft Essentials. Rather than go over exactly the same ground, I’d like to reiterate some points about free antivirus generally, but starting off from a question that was put in a comment to